Crystal-structure-processed devices, methods and systems for making

ABSTRACT

Processing and systems to create, and resulting products related to, very small-dimension singular, or monolithically arrayed, mechanical devices. Processing is laser-performed in relation to a selected material whose internal crystalline structure becomes appropriately changed thereby to establish the desired mechanical properties for a created device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/058,501 filed Feb. 14, 2005 for “Microelectromechanical Thin-FilmDevice” now U.S. Pat. No. 7,230,306, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 10/131,057, filed Apr. 23, 2002 for“Semiconductor Crystal-Structure-Processed Mechanical Devices andMethods and Systems for Making”, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,860,939.The entire contents of these two prior patent applications are herebyincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention arises from a new area of recognition anddevelopment focussed on the technology of low-temperature,crystalline-structure-processed devices, and in particular mechanical,mechanical and electrical, so-called MEMS (micro-electromechanical)devices, and devices organized into monolithic arrays in layers, thatopens up a broad new field of potential devices and applications notheretofore so inexpensively and conveniently made practical andpracticable. This new field of possible devices, from which a number ofinventions, one of which is specifically addressed in this disclosure,springs effectively from the recognition that internalcrystalline-structure processing performed within the bodies of a widevariety of different materials, is capable of enabling fabrication ofsmall (perhaps even down to devices formed from small molecularclusters), versatile, widely controllable and producible, accurate,mechanical, electromechanical and MEMS devices that can be formed veryinexpensively, and, with respect to laser processing, in uncontrolledand room-temperature environments not requiring vacuum chambers, etc.

Especially, the invention offers significant opportunities for thebuilding, relatively cheaply and very reliably, of very tiny mechanicaldevices that can be deployed in dense two-dimensional andthree-dimensional complex arrays and stacked arrangements. These devicescan take on a large range of different configurations, such asindividuated, single-device configurations , monolithic single-layerarray arrangements of like devices, similar monolithic arrays ofcombined electrical and mechanical devices, and in vertically integratedand assembled stacks and layers of complex devices, simply notachievable through conventional prior art processes and techniques. Byenabling room-temperature fabrication, otherwise easily damaged anddestroyed layer-supporting substrates, including fabricated-deviceunder-layers, can readily be employed.

The field of discovery and recognition which underpins the inventiondisclosed herein, can be practiced with a very wide range ofsemiconductor and other materials (mentioned below herein) in arraysthat can be deployed on rigid substrates of various characters, and on awide range of flexible materials, such as traditional flex-circuitmaterials (polymers and plastics), metallic foil materials, and evenfabric materials. Additionally, the field of development from which thepresent invention emerges can be employed with large-dimension bulkmaterials, as well as with various thin-film materials. The presentinvention is described in this broader-ranging setting. With regard tothe latter category of materials, the process of this invention can takeadvantage of traditional thin-film semiconductor processing techniquesto shape and organize unique devices, which are otherwise prepared inaccordance with the internal crystalline-structure-processing proposedby the present invention, thus to achieve and offer mechanicalproperties in a broad arena of new opportunities.

In this setting, the invention disclosed in this document isspecifically described, for illustration purposes, in relation tocrystal-structure-processed semiconductor mechanical devices, either asindividuated, single devices, or in arrays of devices organized intomonolithic, layer-type arrangements, as well as to methodology andsystem organizations especially suited to the preparation andfabrication of such devices. The invention proposes a unique way,employing, for example, different types of lasers and other illuminationsources, effectively to “reach into” the internal crystalline structuresdifferent semiconductor materials for the purpose of controllablymodifying those structure to produce advantageous mechanical propertiesin devices, and at sizes very difficult and sometimes not even possibleto create via prior art techniques.

From the drawings and the descriptions which now follow, it will becomereadily apparent how the present invention lends itself to the economic,versatile, multi-material fabrication and use of a large variety ofdevices, ranging from relatively large devices to extremely smalldevices (as mentioned earlier), and including various forms of MEMSdevices, without the fabrication of these devices, insofar as laserprocessing involved, necessitating the use of special controlledprocessing environments, or surrounding processing temperatures abovetypical room temperature.

With this in mind, the significant improvements and specialcontributions made to the art of device-fabrication according to theinvention will become more fully apparent as the invention descriptionwhich now follows is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block/schematic view illustrating a system which implementsthe methodology of this invention for the creation of single or arrayedmechanical devices in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating single-side, full-depthinternal-crystalline-structure laser processing to create a mechanicaldevice in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 3 is very similar to FIG. 2, except that here what is shown istwo-sided processing according to the invention.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2, but here showing processingoccurring from an opposite side of material in accordance with theinvention.

FIG. 5 is a view illustrating single-side, partial-depthinternal-crystalline-structure processing according to the invention.

FIG. 6 is similar to FIG. 2, except that here single-side processingincludes a flood, or wash, of general heating illumination according toone form of practicing the invention, with this illumination strikingmaterial on what is shown as the upper side in FIG. 6.

FIG. 7 is similar to FIG. 6, except that it illustrates two-sidedprocessing wherein a relatively translated laser beam processes theupper side of material as pictured in FIG. 7, and a wash, or flood, ofother illumination (from a laser or another light source) aids from thebottom side of material as pictured in FIG. 7. FIG. 7, in particular,illustrates a condition where material that is being processed inaccordance with the invention is resting on a substrate which is nottransparent to the wash of illumination coming from the bottom side ofFIG. 7.

FIG. 8 is similar to FIG. 7, except that here the material beingprocessed is resting on a substrate, such as glass, which is essentiallytransparent to a wash of illumination striking from the bottom side ofFIG. 8.

FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate two different views of a stylizedmicro-cantilever beam structure (mechanical device) constructed inaccordance with the invention.

FIG. 11 shows an isolated view of a single micro-cantilever mechanicalbeam structure with a darkened region presented in this figure toillustrate, variously, sensitizing of a surface of the beam for thedetection of a mechanical event, a chemical event, a biological event,etc. and also generally suggesting how, nested within the mechanicalmaterial making up the cantilever beam of FIG. 11 an electronicstructure, such as a transistor, could be formed in a portion of thecantilever beam.

FIG. 12 is a view illustrating single-side, full-depth internalcrystalline-structure processing of bulk material in accordance with thepresent invention.

FIG. 13 is similar to FIG. 12, except that here what is shown issingle-side, partial depth, bulk-material processing. FIGS. 12 and 13are included to give a broad understanding of the underlying overallfield in which the present invention finds its place.

FIG. 14 is a view illustrating internal-crystalline-structure processingemploying a single-crystal seed which is employed to characterize theend-result internal crystalline structure that can be achieved in thematerial pictured in FIG. 14.

FIG. 15 is a stylized, schematic, isometric view illustratingfragmentarily a single planar array of plural mechanical devicesprepared in a single monolithic, generally planar structure inaccordance with the present invention.

In FIGS. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 12 and 13, the darkened regions in thematerial being processed represents the processed regions in thesematerials.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Turning now to the drawings, and referring first of all to FIG. 1,illustrated generally at 20 is a system which is employed according tothe present invention to implement a methodology for processing theinternal crystalline structure of various different materials inaccordance with the invention, and all for the purpose of creating oneor more mechanical devices that are intended to perform respective,predetermined, pre-chosen tasks. The particular crystalline-processedmaterial which is principally discussed herein for illustrativedisclosure of the invention is a semiconductor material. Included insystem 20 are a block 22 which represents a suitably programmed digitalcomputer, a block 24 which is operatively connected to block 22, andwhich represents the presence of appropriate laser structure andcontrols, such as beam-shaping and optics controls using optical ormasking methods, fluency controls, angularity controls, and other, fordefining the functional characteristics of an appropriate laser beamshown at 26 which is to be employed in accordance with the invention toproduce internal crystalline-structure processing of any one of a numberof different materials, as will be more fully mentioned below. In FIG.1, a material for processing is shown generally at 28, with thismaterial having a layer form, and being suitably supported on anappropriate supporting substrate 30 which rests upon, and is anchoredto, a three-axis translation table (a driven table) 32.

Table 32 is drivingly connected to a motion drive system, represented byblock 34 in FIG. 1, which drive system is under the control of computer22. This motion drive system, under the control and influence ofcomputer 22, is capable of translating table 32, and thus materialsupported on this table, in each of the three usual orthogonal axesknown as the X, Y, and Z axes, such axes being pictured at the rightside of FIG. 1. Very specifically, control over motion of table 32 isdirected by an appropriate algorithm 36 which is resident withincomputer 22, and which, fundamentally, is equipped to direct a laserbeam for processing in accordance with device configuration and deviceinternal mechanical properties that have been chosen and selected, andfor which algorithm 36 is especially designed.

The exact nature of the construction of computer 22, of controls 24, ofalgorithm 36, and of the driven table and the motion drive therefor,form no part of the present invention, and accordingly are not furtherdetailed herein.

Fundamentally, what takes place in the operation of system 20 to producea given type of mechanical device is that a user selects a particularkind of device to build, selects an appropriate size and configurationfor that device, and then determines what are the best and mostappropriate internal mechanical properties that should be created inthat device in order to enable it to function properly with respect toimplementing a selected task. In general terms, the collection ofmaterials out of which a particular material can be selected to producesuch a device includes those whose internal crystalline structures areclosely linked to the material's mechanical properties. Specifically,the various useable materials are those whose internal crystallinestructures can be modified by laser processing to produce desiredmechanical properties for a device. Various materials with respect towhich the present invention can conveniently and very successfully workwill be discussed very shortly, but it might be noted at this point thatthese materials, with respect to their precursor states, i.e. theirstates before processing, range from fully amorphous materials throughand into a range of various categories of polycrystalline materials.

For example, practice of the invention can begin with precursor materialwhich can fit into any one of the following categories: amorphous,nanocrystalline, micro-crystalline, and polycrystalline. All suchmaterials can be generally described as having an internal crystallinestructure which, initially in a precursor state, is less than singlecrystalline in nature.

Semiconductor materials, as an illustration, which can very successfullybe processed in accordance with this invention include silicon,germanium and silicon-germanium. For the purpose of further illustrationin this description, a manner of practicing the invention, and a deviceemerging from that practice, will be described in conjunction withfull-layer-depth processing of a precursor amorphous silicon material,which will thus be treated as the specific kind of material which ispictured at 28 in FIG. 1. Also for the purpose of focused illustrationherein, this precursor illustrative amorphous silicon material isdeployed as an appropriate thin layer on a glass substrate, which isdesignated by reference numbered 30 in FIG. 1. Other substratematerials, as will become apparent, may include quartz, various metals,plastics, flex materials, fabrics and others. All of these materialshave what are referred to herein as relatively low melting (ordestruction) temperatures which are well below the melting temperatureof the silicon precursor material.

As has already been suggested above, practice of the present inventioncan produce a wide variety of uniquely configured and constructedmechanical devices which can be extremely small in size, ranging downeven to a small molecular cluster size. Devices which can be producedinclude various MEMS devices, micro-mechanical devices that aresensitized to act as sensors for various environmental events, such aschemical and biological events, various motion elements generally,oscillating elements, cantilever beams, actuators, relay switches, andother devices.

With respect to formation of a particular device's three-dimensionalconfiguration, this can be done in any one of a number of conventionallyknown ways. The exact processes employed to give three-dimensionaldefinition to a finally produced device, as for example to singulate anelement from a mass of material in which it has been formed, and/or toindividuate (for performance purposes) plural devices in a monolithicarray of devices, can take the form of various conventional processeswhich form no particular parts of the present invention. Thus they arenot discussed herein in detail.

For the purpose of illustration herein, processing will be described inthe setting, initially, of creating a single micro-mechanical cantilevermechanical device, using single-side, translated laser-beam processing.While various specific types of lasers can be employed, such as anexcimer laser, a solid-state laser, a continuous-wave laser, and a femtolaser, to name several, description will proceed in the context of usingan excimer laser.

Describing now a typical practice implemented by the present invention,an amorphous silicon layer having an appropriate precursor thickness issuitably formed on the surface in a glass substrate, such as substrate30. This assembly is placed on table 32 with appropriate initialalignment, and is then translated relatively with respect to a laserbeam, such as excimer laser beam 26, which beam is pulsed duringtranslation of the material relative to the source of the laser beam, toproduce full-depth, small-area quick melting and re-crystallizing of thesilicon material. An appropriate excimer laser, driven and pulsed at anappropriate pulse rate, and with an appropriate fluency and footprint inthe sense of how and with what outlines it strikes the surface of theamorphous silicon material, is directed toward this surface under thecontrol of computer 22, algorithm 36, and controls 24.

In accordance with the desired end-result internal crystallinestructure, and in a relative motion sense, the impingement point of thisbeam from a laser is moved in a defined way over the surface of theamorphous silicon material to produce rapid, full-depth melting andre-crystallizing in a manner designed to achieve the pre-determineddesired internal crystalline structure. Employing an excimer laser inthis fashion allows one to process material in such a fashion that thehigh-temperature events are essentially confined very locally to theregions specifically where material melt is occurring. Very little, andno dangerous, temperature rise occurs in the surrounding area, such aswithin substrate 30, and the whole process can take place in a normalatmospheric environment and completely at room temperature.

FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 show several different approaches to implement suchlaser processing. In FIG. 2 the laser beam strikes the surface of theamorphous silicon material on the upper side which is spaced away fromsupporting substrate 30. Processed material is indicated (darkened) at27. In FIG. 3 dual-sided processing takes place with two laser beamscooperating on opposite sides of the material, with the lower beameffectively processing the underside of the silicon material through thetransparency afforded by glass substrate 30. Such dual-sided laserprocessing effectively allows melting and re-crystallizing to take placesimultaneously on opposite sides of the supported silicon material, andwith each laser, therefore, requiring only a portion of the powerrequired for similar processing to take place under the influence of asingle laser beam. Where a mask is employed for beam shaping, thisdual-laser approach promotes longer-term durability of such a mask—atypically expensive device, and which is subject to significantdegradation at high laser power levels Two-sided dual-beam processingcan also be effective to allow processing to be performed in otherwisedifficult to reach areas with just a single processing beam.

In FIG. 4 single-side processing is demonstrated where, in this case,the processing laser beam is directed toward the silicon material fromthe bottom side (i.e. the substrate supported side) of this material.

FIG. 5 illustrates single-side, less than full-depth processing of thesilicon material, here employed to create ultimately a mechanical devicewhich effectively becomes a device that is composited with unprocessedmaterial lying beneath it, as illustrated in FIG. 5.

FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 show different manners of modifying the kinds of laserprocessing illustrated in FIGS. 2-4 inclusive, and specifically amodified processing approach which employs an additional broad area washof illumination 38 from another illumination source which could be, butis not necessarily, a laser source. In FIG. 6 this wash of illuminationstrikes the upper side of the silicon material in companionship withlaser beam 26, and is effective essentially to create an overalltemperature rise in the silicon material which permits a lower energylaser beam to perform appropriate full-depth processing. In FIGS. 7 and8 this wash 38 of illumination is directed toward the underside of thesilicon material and the supporting substrate, with FIG. 7 illustratinga condition where the substrate support material shown at 40 is nottransparent to illumination. In this implementation of the invention,the silicon material which is being processed is heated in a conductionmanner through heating of substrate 40. In FIG. 8, glass substrate 30 isagain pictured, and here, the wash 38 of illumination passes throughthis substrate to heat the silicon material above the substratedirectly.

According to practice of the invention, once a particular mechanicaldevice to build has been decided upon, the desired three dimensionalconfiguration of this device is chosen, and algorithm 36 is designed todirect laser processing in such a fashion as to create a regional volumeof material within the processed material on the substrate adequate forthe ultimate individuation and singulation, if that is what is desired,of an end-result mechanical device. With such a chosen deviceconfiguration in mind, the most desired internal mechanical propertiesare predetermined, and algorithm 36 is also constructed so that it willcontrol the operation of a laser beam, such as beam 26, to produceinternal melting and re-crystallization in order to achieve an internalcrystalline structure that will yield the desired mechanical properties.In some instances, it may be more appropriate to create differentiatedregions of crystalline structure within a device being built in order toproduce different specific mechanical properties in different zoneswithin that material. Such is entirely possible utilizing the processingapproach which has just been outlined above.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show a side cross section and an idealized top plan viewof a stylized cantilever-beam mechanical device 42 which has been sodefined by processing within the body of silicon material 28.

FIG. 11, in an idealized fashion, isolates an illustration of cantileverbeam 42, and shows by way of suggestion, produced by the darkened patchwhich appears in FIG. 11, how an appropriate event sensor, such as achemical sensor, a biological sensor, and other kinds of sensors couldbe applied, in any suitable manner, to the beam so as to respond toselected environmental events in a manner which causes deflection in thebeam. The present invention is not concerned with the specific kinds ofsensitivity for which a device, such as beam 42, is to be prepared, andthus details of how sensitizing can take place are not presented herein.

FIG. 11 can also be read to illustrate yet another interesting componentoffering of the present invention which is that it is possible to createwithin the mechanical body of the device, such as cantilever beam 42, anelectronic device, such as a semiconductor transistor which can bethought of as being represented by the darkened patch appearing in FIG.11.

FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrate use of the invention to modify internalcrystalline structure inside a bulk material 43, either with afull-depth approach (FIG. 12) or with a partial-depth approach (FIG. 13)in accordance with the invention. These two figures are included here tohelp establish a part of the underlying background of this invention.

FIG. 14 illustrates still another processing approach which utilizes asingle-crystalline material seed 44 which rests in a tiny indentationformed in an appropriate layer 45 of a supporting material, such assilicon dioxide. Seed 44 lies adjacent an amorphous layer 50 of silicon.Laser processing takes place with initial illumination of the seed,followed by the laser-beam progression from the seed in a definedpattern over the amorphous silicon material. This action causes thesingle crystalline character of the seed 44 to become telegraphed intothe internal structure of silicon layer 50, thus to characterize theinternal crystalline structure in this layer to make it more nearlysingle crystalline in structure at the conclusion of processing.

FIG. 15 illustrates, in simplified fragmentary form, a monolithic layerstructure 52 of processed, initially amorphous material which as beenprocessed in an array fashion, and at discrete locations, to create amonolithic array of mechanical devices such as the devices shown at 54.While it is certainly possible that each and every one of devices 54 isessentially the same in construction, and intended to perform the samekind of function, it is entirely possible, according to practice of theinvention, to differentiate the functionalities and thus the structuresof these arrayed elements.

It should thus be apparent that a unique process capable of creating awide range of unique mechanical devices, down to small molecular clusterdevices, with a high degree of precise control over internal mechanicalproperties, is made possible by the present invention. Also madepossible is the opportunity to do this insofar as laser processing isinvolved, in a completely atmospheric environment and at roomtemperature, and also in a manner which is one that does not attack anddestroy supporting structure, such as substrate structure.

Accordingly, while several embodiments and manners of practicing theinvention, and a system for doing all of this, have been illustrated anddescribed herein, it is appreciated that variations and modificationsmay be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

1. A method of forming, from a precursor material having selectively andcontrollably process-changeable crystalline-structure-related mechanicalproperties, a mechanical device possessing (a) a predeterminedthree-dimensional configuration, and therein (b) a set of mechanicalproperties linked to this configuration, that are desired for theperformance by the completed device of a pre-chosen mechanical task,said method comprising placing a precursor body of such material in aprocessing zone, selecting a volumetric region in that body which issuitable (a) for the creation therefrom of the desired, predetermineddevice configuration and (b) for the establishment therein of thedesired, configuration-linked set of crystalline-structure-relatedmechanical properties, within the processing zone, subjecting theselected region to a controlled changing of the crystalline structuretherein, and thus of the related mechanical properties, and by thatprocess, achieving, in the selected region, the desired set ofconfiguration-linked mechanical properties.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein the precursor material takes the form of one of an amorphousmaterial, nanocrystalline material, a microcrystalline material, apolycrystalline material, and bulk material.
 3. The method of claim 1,wherein said subjecting is performed in a manner which differentiatesand distinguishes different zones in a region, whereby suchdifferentiated and distinguished zones possess, after the subjectingstep, different internal properties.
 4. The method of claim 1, whereinsaid subjecting is performed by a controlled energy beam which isdirected toward a surface of the material body.
 5. The method of claim4, wherein the controlled energy beam takes the form of a laser beam. 6.A method of making a task-specific mechanical device at least partiallyout of a chosen material whose local mechanical properties are closelylinked to internal crystalline structure, said method comprisingdetermining an appropriate spatial configuration for the device, on thebasis of said determining, deciding upon the appropriate distribution insuch configuration of local, linked-to-configuration mechanicalproperties needed for the finished device to be capable of performingthe intended specific task, and applying suitablecrystalline-structure-modifying processing to a body of the chosenmaterial to achieve therein a processed region which possesses both thepredetermined, appropriate, spatial configuration for the device, and adistributed local crystalline-structure arrangement that produces thedecided-upon, distributed, local, linked-to-configuration mechanicalproperties.
 7. A method of forming, from a precursor thin-film materialhaving selectively and controllably changeablecrystalline-structure-related mechanical properties, a thin-filmmechanical device possessing (a) a predetermined configuration, andtherein (b) a set of mechanical properties linked to this configuration,that are desired for the performance by the completed device of apre-chosen mechanical task, said method comprising placing a precursorbody of such thin-film material in a processing zone, selecting avolumetric region in that body which is suitable (a) for the creationtherefrom of the desired, predetermined device configuration and (b) forthe establishment therein of the desired set of configuration-linked,crystalline-structure-related mechanical properties, within theprocessing zone, subjecting the selected region to a controlled changingof the crystalline structure therein, and thus of the related mechanicalproperties, and by that process, achieving in the selected region thedesired set of configuration-linked mechanical properties.
 8. The methodof claim 7, wherein the precursor material takes the form of one of anamorphous material, and nanocrystalline material, a microcrystallinematerial, and a polycrystalline material.
 9. The method of claim 7,wherein said subjecting is performed in a manner which differentiatesand distinguishes different zones in a region, whereby suchdifferentiated and distinguished zones possess, after the subjectingstep, different internal properties.
 10. The method of claim 7, whereinsaid subjecting is performed by a controlled energy beam which isdirected toward a surface of the material body.
 11. The method of claim10, wherein the controlled energy beam takes the form of a laser beam.12. A method of forming, from a precursor material having selectivelyand controllably changeable crystalline-structure related mechanicalproperties, a monolithic array of mechanical devices each possessing (a)a predetermined configuration, and therein (b) a set of mechanicalproperties linked to this configuration, that are desired for theperformance, by each completed device, of a pre-chosen mechanical taskwithin the setting of the monolithic structure, said method comprisingplacing an appropriate broad-expanse precursor body of such material ina processing zone, selecting, for each device which is to be created, anassociated volumetric region in that body which is suitable (a) for thecreation therefrom of the desired configuration which is to beassociated with that region, and (b) for the establishment therein ofthe desired set of associated, configuration-linked,crystalline-structure-related mechanical properties, within theprocessing zone, subjecting each selected region to a controlledchanging of the crystalline structure therein, and thus of the relatedmechanical properties, and by that process, achieving in each selectedregion, the associated, desired set of configuration-linked mechanicalproperties.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein said subjecting isperformed in a manner which differentiates and distinguishes differentzones in a region, whereby such differentiated and distinguished zonespossess, after the subjecting step, different internal properties. 14.The method of claim 12, wherein said subjecting is performed by acontrolled energy beam which is directed toward a surface of thematerial body.
 15. The method of claim 12, wherein the controlled energybeam takes the form of a laser beam.
 16. A method of forming, on alow-temperature substrate selected from the group including glass,plastics, flexible materials, and metal foil, and from a precursormaterial having selectively and controllably changeablecrystalline-structure-related mechanical properties, a mechanical devicepossessing (a) a pre-determined configuration, and therein (b) a set ofmechanical properties linked to this configuration, that are desired forthe performance by the completed device of a pre-chosen mechanical task,said method comprising, placing a selected substrate in a processingzone, forming, by thin-film layer-formation processing, a precursor bodyof such material on the substrate, selecting a volumetric region in thatbody which is suitable (a) for the creation therefrom of the desireddevice configuration and (b) for the establishment therein of thedesired set of configuration-linked, crystalline-structure-relatedmechanical properties, within the processing zone, subjecting theselected region to a controlled changing of the crystalline structuretherein, and thus of the related mechanical properties, and performingthis subjecting step in a manner which avoids any heat-related damage tothe underlying supporting substrate, and by that processing, achieving,in the selected region, the desired set of configuration-linkedmechanical properties.
 17. The method of claim 16 which further includessimilarly forming changed-crystalline-structural regions in thementioned precursor material body to become at least a portion thereinof an electrical device.
 18. The method of claim 16, wherein saidsubjecting is performed by a controlled energy beam which is directedtoward a surface of the material body.
 19. The method of claim 18,wherein the controlled energy beam takes the form of a laser beam. 20.The method of claim 16, wherein said subjecting is performed in a mannerwhich differentiates and distinguishes different zones in a region,whereby such differentiated and distinguished zones possess, after thesubjecting step, different internal properties.
 21. The method of claim16, wherein said subjecting is performed by a controlled energy beamwhich is directed toward a surface of the material body.
 22. The methodof claim 21, wherein the controlled energy beam takes the form of alaser beam.